Mysuru: Makara Sankranti, the first major festival of the New Year, was celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm in city yesterday. The Harvest Festival was celebrated by offering salutations to Sun God, who is said to change his path from Dakshinayana to Uttararyana.

The womenfolk, with many of them dressed in new clothes, were seen distributing small packets of Ellu-Bella (a mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery) to their neighbours, friends and relatives.

Women were also seen drawing colourful rangolis in front of their homes, decorating doors with mango leaves (Torana) and flowers, tying of sugarcane stalks, lighting of lamps at Tulasi Katte etc.

Special pujas and rituals were performed at all major temples across the city including Chamundi Hill Temple, Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at Palace North Gate, 101 Ganapathi Temple at Agrahara, Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple at Vijayanagar, Shiva Temple in Srirampura and Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy Temple on KRS Road in Vontikoppal.

The Festival was also marked by ‘Kichhu Hayisuvudu’ (cattle running over fire) at some places, especially rural pockets. The event was all the more attractive at Siddalingapura on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road, where many cattle were made to cross over the fire (Kichhu Hayisuvudu). A large crowd had gathered near the well-known Siddalingeshwara Temple to watch the event.

Makara Sankranti was celebrated with grandeur at Amba Bhavani Mahila Samaj office at the foot of Chamundi Hill and also  at Lingadevarakoppalu near Yelwal on Hunsur Road, where winners of several contests that were held as part of the Festival, were distributed prizes.

At Srirangapatna, the sunrays splashed the Linga in Sri Kashi Chandramouleshwaraswamy Temple at Chandravan Ashram located on the banks of River Cauvery near Poorvavahini on the outskirts of Srirangapatna town. The  first sunrays of the day fell on the temple Shivalinga at 7.14 am, when the Temple Priest Shivakumar performed special pujas to the deity. Earlier, the attached rituals which included Jalabhisheka, Rudrabhiseka and Rudraparayana were performed as early at 4.30 am and the deity was specially decorated with a variety of flowers.

After the Mahamangalarathi, ‘Go Puja’ (Cattle Worship) was performed and prasadam was distributed among the devotees.

Marking Sankranti Festival, Mayor Shivakumar distributed ‘Ellu-Bella’ and uniforms to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Pourakarmikas here yesterday.

The Uttara Kannada Zilla Samskrutika Sangha in city too celebrated the Festival with performance of special rituals and conduct of various cultural programmes.  A Musical Nite  was organised as part of the Festival by Kalihundi Shivakumar and Gumballi Nandish Geleyara Balaga at Madhuvana Park in Madhuvana Layout. 

The Harvest Festival was celebrated with fervour at T. Narasipur too, where ‘Kichhu Hayisuvudu’ took place near the Private Bus Stand.

Farmers marched their specially decorated cattle on the link road of the town before reaching the spot near the Private Bus Stand, where haystack was set on fire and the cattle run over it, amidst a large gathering.